Just wanted to share my experience of the new Canada Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) which seems to be a north-of-the-border version of the ESTA.

The scheme was rolled out starting 1 Aug 2015; although it will not become mandatory for trips by air to Canada until 15 Mar 2016. Eligible visa-exempt visitors to Canada can apply now, however, with applications costing CAD 7 per person and being valid for either five years or until passport expiry (whichever is sooner).

I have just successfully obtained eTAs for myself and my son (British citizens), Mrs SCB is a Canadian citizen.

Some thoughts on the process and the requirement in general - the form takes about 5-10 minutes to complete for an adult. It is - would say - on the more onerous side of things to say that it is still "visa-free" travel with questions about employment etc - more so than the ESTA for the US. If (like me) you have ever held any kind of Canadian residence permit in the past (I have had student visas back in the day but visited many times since then) you will need your visa number (it will not let you proceed without it) so I had to go rooting round for my old passport with the stamp in.

However, once completed and paid I got a response within 10 minutes and a eTA valid for 5 years. ^